Switching laptops is no easy feat. If you have to move over your mission-critical email and files, unless you are extremely careful on where you have put things over the years, you will always be concerned about missing a file.
Like me, Kim is a 10 year + Windows user. But how hard could it be to switch over to a Mac laptop? First, when the LAN admin at Tucows dropped it off, he made a kind of friendly disclaimer that was a cross between, 'good luck and we don't support these'. Fortunately, every other Tucows employee is a huge Mac fan and uses one in the office or at home.
So, every time one of the Mac users passed by, Kim would have a question. And invariably their response was 'that's easy'. Except it isn't easy when your instincts are off. I joked every time she asked a question that 'It should be obvious to you how to do that, its a Mac'. The hilarity of that wore off quickly. So I watched how she had to ask questions. Our CEO delivered sensei like advice when he passed by and said, 'Every time you think to use Ctrl, use the Apple key. Apple key Kim. ... Apple key....'
When I got my Tivo (finally) working, my Tivo guru onezan said, 'Its so easy to set up. You will love it'. And you know what, he was right. It took literally 2 minutes to get the hang of it. I think a lot of Mac users would put forward the same idea. Not so.
At the end of the day, its another OS and learned behaviour (of Windows users) is hard to say 'but this is intuitive....' But Kim is an interesting case study. Why did she really want a Mac? Well, brand managers rejoice, she wanted one because its cool. It works with her iPod. And you know what, I kind of want one too. I helped my friend get going in blogging, she's a Mac user and a friday night of wine, and blogging on the Mac and I couldn't believe it when I found myself thinking, hey this is kind of cool. As the T. said, 'You too? I guess the fashion is really working'
It would be nice to have a Mac in the living room so I don't have to look at another PC when I come home. But Apple and friends, stop answering every question with 'that should be easy or that's obvious or that's a no brainer'. Its not easy if you're a Windows user, it is easy if you're 10 years old with no PC history. It is just as hard for Windows users to use a Mac as it is for you to use Windows.
Mac brand managers, the brand success of the iPod is slowly working. For the first time in my life, I would consider buying a Mac to have in our livingroom. But you have to make it easy for me.